Tess spent a term in England studying at the University of Warwick.
Hiking Mt. Snowdon in Northern Wales
One of my weekend trips was to Amsterdam. This is me at the "I Amsterdam" sign.
At Platform 9 and 3/4 in London
Drinking afternoon tea in London.
Another one of my weekend trips to Ireland. At the Cliffs of Moher
A weekend trip to Copenhagen
For my exchange, I completed a term at the University of Warwick in England. My main reason for choosing England is its proximity to many other countries. Most weekends my friends and I travelled to a different country, exploring a new culture and trying new foods. My number one goal for my exchange was to experience everything I could and to take advantage of every opportunity given, so I took every chance I could to visit a new country; I made it to 10 in total!
Apart from the awesome travel experiences I gained, I had a fabulous time at school as well. Warwick doesn’t have a Kinesiology program, so I joined the Psychology department. This gave me the opportunity to take some really interesting courses that I wouldn’t have been able to take at Waterloo, like Psychology and Law and History of Medicine. My favourite thing about Warwick was its dedication to promoting inclusion and physical activity. There were so many clubs and societies to choose from. I joined surf, tennis and mountain hiking and participated in their evening events and weekend trips. The club members always made me feel welcome, even though I was a newcomer and only there for a short period of time. One of my favourite excursions was a weekend hiking trip to the Lake District. The scenery was beautiful and I met so many cool people.
If you are considering incorporating an exchange into your university experience I would highly recommend it. It was the best experience of my life; I learned so much (academically and otherwise), travelled to so many cool places, and made amazing friends. I wouldn’t take back one second of my time in England. My advice to getting the best experience possible abroad is to say ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as possible and to get involved with the school’s teams and clubs. This will help to make you feel connected both to the school and to other people.